@aL_ I think they are (rightly) worried about getting the user experience destroyed by opening things up too much, too fast, and as a user/developer of both WP7 and WP6, I think they are right. WP6 was frought with all sorts of well meaning apps and hooks that either killed the responsiveness or battery or both, and A---nd000d is the same way.

If an app were to be able to get integrated into a hub as you suggest (or as I think you're suggesting), the user experience would not be the same on all phones -- something that MS has time and time again tried to point out that they -- unlike some other googggly interfaces -- will do.

If you're looking for a totally open platform like some of the other guys, then WP7 is not for you. If you're looking for a strong, stable platform, with features like no other, with dedicated developers and users, LOOK no further.

@clody, note that these are "Beta" tools. They are not final. I myself was capable of driving the emulator Bing turn by turn directions using the GPS input from the tools, so that's pretty good, but if you have a better tool, no one is forcing you to use the built-in GPS tester.

@mluu510 Starting a post with the word "lame" gives away the fact that we shouldn't read any further.

As to the demo, this is the ASUS Eee Slate 12" Tablet. I would wait for the Sandy Bridge version which should be coming out soon, but this one features about 4 hours battery life. This has everything you could hope for, including Gorilla glass, USB, SD card slot, bluetooth, WiFi and available 3G, and for us who want a "precision tablet" for art input, it is compatible with both fingers and stylus. It has an i5 processor with 4GB of memory and Windows 7.

They seem to be limiting the quantities of this one so that they can bring the real thing out in bulk.... at least I hope so. Sandy Bridge should be able to get close to 7 hours .. maybe more depending on what you need to do (I disagree unless you're going to mars that you really "need" the battery life of the iPad, by the way .. it just sets the bar to a higher mark that isn't attainable with a lot of CPU / graphics power available). Sandy Bridge should get sufficient life for a whole day, with ease.

I like this video, because we can show it to people who have an iPAD that believe that is the only workable slate. The fact of the matter is that a PC running a full-fledged O/S will eventually replace it, at least for people who want to do real work.

But let's not start that argument on this thread. For now, suffice to say I was pretty tickled by my office mates coming to me with new iPads playing guitar and writing emails and not much else, when I was interfacing with this marvel.

@Agion @holisticdetective you guys ARE starting to sound like broken records.

You're only going over the same ground that was covered before.

Windows Phone 7 is still the best platform out there for consumers. We have the foundation and need the rest of the floors built now. As users and developers of the platform, we need to offer to help, not blurt on and on about how to fix things. Do you seriously think that Microsoft doesn't have the same ideas? If you've read the comments, you can see that everybody is asking for something different, and/or prioritizing differently. This is a very precarious balancing act they are performing between users, OEMs, Carriers, and internal politics. They have pledged to navigate it as quickly as they can.

Let's see what happens next week. It is Sunday, and everybody deserves some rest.

WP7 team... send me an invitation to the WP7 update beta site. I'll help all I can.

@Agion @holisticdetective you guys ARE starting to sound like broken records.

You're only going over the same ground that was covered before.

Windows Phone 7 is still the best platform out there for consumers. We have the foundation and need the rest of the floors built now. As users and developers of the platform, we need to offer to help, not blurt on and on about how to fix things. Do you seriously think that Microsoft doesn't have the same ideas? If you've read the comments, you can see that everybody is asking for something different, and/or prioritizing differently. This is a very precarious balancing act they are performing between users, OEMs, Carriers, and internal politics. They have pledged to navigate it as quickly as they can.

Let's see what happens next week. It is Sunday, and everybody deserves some rest.

WP7 team... send me an invitation to the WP7 update beta site. I'll help all I can.

Thanks, Joe, we're all rooting for you and Wndows Phone 7. It works great now, but it can be SO MUCH BETTER.

But better takes time. How much time is a problem, because every ticking second lowers the customer response numbers, and the developer value.

This video is relatively old in internet time, but Unfortunately, some specific quotes from it worry me.

NoDo "We expect to get them all out there, in a matter of time, depending on specifics." We need to know when. I'm on AT&T with an LG Quantum which I love. I expect Microsoft and AT&T to have a meeting on Monday March 28th, and the go online and even on TV and discuss specifics, AND commitments.

Mango: "Significant update release we’ll have available more toward the end of this year." You guys know that this is what everyone is waiting for, and the feature set that will make WP7 on par with Android and iOS. NOW is the time to make commitments on that as well. If you need a few more engineers to pull in the schedule, GET THEM and DO IT. An excellent time to get Mango into the hands of AT&T customers is September, when most people start holiday buying. If EVERYTHING won't make it, release a smaller update.

In fact, I think a 3 month update schedule would be best. I know this will mean a lot of testing, but your testing should be very automated after this update cycle, so it is do-able.

On the other hand, I am happy to hear that the Verizon iOS 4.3.1 update is delayed, but the AT&T isn't. That makes me giggle a little, because Apple can get a little bad press as well.

Well, Joe is upbeat because he has the update! He probably has Mango too!

At any rate, the WP7 platform is great, I have the most solid smartphone experience I ever had with any phone with my LG Quantum.

I do hate AT&T for taking so long to test the update. I wish THEY would explain what the process is so we can understand why it takes so long. I encourage everybody to use twitter to frequently ask them about the testing progress and when it will complete. Also use facebook and go the "Where is my WP7 update" discussion page at ATT's wall.

I'm a Systems engineer/Project Engineer by trade and would like to offer my assistance to you at MS. I think we can work together to solve the problems, or at least communicate them better.

I do hope some of these more irate people don't do anything foolish, but I can see where they could get miffed by having to wait "several weeks" for a rollout that should take just a week or so.

My wife and I love Windows Phone 7, and I like being a developer of the platform. I've not posted anything yet, but I do like the way that Microsoft courts developers. They do have that part of the equation right.

As for the update problems, I do expect Microsoft to make the update process better, and faster.